PUBLIC RELATIONS and PRESCRIBED FIRE Chapter 3: Certified Prescribed Burn Manager training

1. PUBLIC RELATIONSandPRESCRIBED FIREChapter 3: Certified Prescribed Burn Manager training Fire Ecology and Management 2011 Leda Kobziar, School of Forest Resources and Conservation Modified from Jennifer Hinckley’s Original Prescribed Fire Specialist Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

2. Objectives • Explain the difference between agency and individual responsibilities • Identify public fears and how to address them • Identify tactics for building a good Prescribed Fire public relations program

3. Florida • 1950 – 2.8 million residents • 1970 – 6.8 million residents • 2005 – 17.8 million residents • 2010- 18.2 million • 35 million acres of land • People are going to see us conducting burns

4. PUBLIC Concerns/Perceptions • Forest Destruction • Wildlife Mortality • Smoke • Pollutants • Health • More?

5. BENEFITS of Good PR • Public Support • Favorable Press • Program Continuation • Improved Management of Florida’s Flora and Fauna • Public Welfare

6. Image- what do people think? • Examples? • Who is responsible for image development?

7. Image Development • Abraham Lincoln said the following about PUBLIC SENTIMENT or public opinion “Public sentiment is everything. With it nothing can fail. Without it nothing can succeed.” • IMAGE for you and your employer/ agency is not necessarily what we are but it is always how we are PERCIEVED.

8. Image Development • Public relations is the art of convincing others that “We are the good guys” • Good public relations results in a positive public image for prescribed fire • Public relations is your program to develop and maintain

9. Image • Maintaining a positive image for prescribed fire is essential.

10. Ingredients of a POSITIVE IMAGE • Attitude • Preparedness and Proper Equipment • Professionalism • Teamwork

11. Attitude • POSITIVE • Friendly & Courteous • Energetic & Enthusiastic VS.

12. Preparedness (Equipment) • Properly Maintained • Clean • Functional • Correct Equipment for the Task

13. Professionalism • Courteous • Open-minded • Good at listening • Confident • Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know but will find the answer for you” then follow up • Fitness- both physical and mental

14. AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES • Policy • Training • Funding • Staffing • Equipment • Commitment and Direction

15. INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES • Communication Skills • Salesmanship and Representation • Personal Commitment • Personal Growth

16. EVALUATE and ASSESS YOUR IMAGE • Remove Yourself/ BE Objective • Watch and read as much as possible concerning wildfires and prescribed fires www.fireleadership.gov • Listen to BOTH friend and foe • BE HONEST: Accept what you find Don’t be a spinmaster

17. Examples…good or bad for prescribed burning? • (Fort Riley tallgrass prairie burning) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sJsPkIx1A8&feature=related • (black capped vireos do need fire) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOWde_CN0RY&NR=1 • (Juniper Prairie Wilderness fire, March 11-21, 2009) http://www.ocala.com/article/20090313/ARTICLES/903131003 • Be conscious of “bad press” (Red flag political add) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4OlcgnNDtE&feature=related

18. PR Planning (RACE a simple 4 Step Process) • Research • Action plan • Communication • Evaluation

19. PR Planning - Research • Identify audiences • Identify key people to help spread message • Develop list or summary of information to be communicated • Develop strategies and methods for communication • Develop a list of reference resources that can provide pertinent information

20. PR Planning – Action Plan • Develop a written plan • How, what, when and where • Identify your target audiences (attachment #2) • Modify your program as appropriate for that audience • Develop a fact sheet (attachment #1) • Develop a contact list

21. PR Planning – Communication(Implementation) • Consider the basics of good interpersonal relations (attachment #3) • Include all the elements of good public relations in your program (attachment #4) • Follow “Do’s and Don’ts of working with the media (attachments #5 & #6) • Work to develop a rapport with local media

22. PR Planning - Evaluation • Final step - RACE • But the first step in beginning a new cycle of process • How will you determine the outcome of your efforts? • How will you know your objectives were met? • How will you measure success?

23. SUMMARY • Public Relations is essential for Prescribed Fire • GOOD Public Relations can enhance a sound Prescribed Fire Program • Images are formed from a collection of Individual actions- everyone is responsible. • Formal Planning is a key ingredient for both Public Relations and Prescribed Burning

24. Public RelationsKeeping Fire On Our Side

25. At issue was whether Brown, who had permission from the South Carolina Forestry Commission to conduct the burn on his Cordesville, S.C., tree farm, should be held liable for the firefighting costs after wind blew the flames into the adjacent national forest. • Although Brown maintained that he acted responsibly, a Forest Service investigation found him negligent for, among other reasons, having little more than water-filled garbage cans on the back of a pickup truck for fire control. The agency determined that, according to federal law and policy, Brown should be fined and pay the firefighting costs. • The congressman fought back -- hard. • Brown has denied threatening the Forest Service, saying he merely discussed the need for a change in federal statutes to give authorities more discretion to waive violations when no negligence is involved. He also has acknowledged discussing the enforcement policy that spring in a meeting with then-Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth and Mark E. Rey, undersecretary for natural resources and environment at the Department of Agriculture.. • On March 12, the Forest Service sent Brown an overdue notice demanding payment of $5,773.03, including interest and penalties, within 30 days. It warned that the debt could be referred to a private collection agency and that Brown's wages might be garnished. On April 9, however, the Forest Service sent another letter agreeing to waive more than $1,000 in penalties and interest, leaving the final bill at $4,747.18. • Brown scored a small victory. After discussions with the lawmaker, the Forest Service modified its regulations last month to make it more difficult for the government to seek criminal penalties against violators who allow fires to burn out of control onto federal land. Now the government must show criminal negligence on the part of the landowner, the same standard that landowners must show when prescribed burns on federal property jump to their land. • "We just want to make sure that these sorts of actions are done safely and that the taxpayers of America don't get stuck" with the bill, she said.